Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments (ARCS) Program

Monitoring Links

Prepared for
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes National Program Office

by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Chicago District

Pilot-Scale Demonstration of Solvent Extraction
for the Treatment of Grand Calumet River Sediments

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1994. Abstract and Table of Contents for "Pilot-Scale Demonstration of Solvent Extraction for the Treatment of Grand Calumet River Sediments," EPA-905-R94-003. Chicago, Ill.: Great Lakes National Program Office.

This report describes the Basic Extractive Sludge Treatment (BEST) process (a solvent-extraction treatment technology patented by Resources Conservation Company) and its application to the treatment of contaminated sediments. The process design and the properties of the solvent triethylamine are presented. Bench-scale and pilot-scale tests conducted at the Grand Calumet River in Gary, Indiana as part of the Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments (ARCS) program are described.

Two separate tests were conducted on sediment collected from different locations in the Grand Calumet River. Five test runs for each sediment type (Sediment A and Sediment B) were conducted. The averages of the three optimum runs were used to evaluate the technology's performance. Sediment A contained 12 mg/kg PCBs, 550 mg/kg PAHs and 6,900 mg/kg O&G. The process removed more than 99 percent of the PCBs, 96 percent of the PAHs, and more than 98 percent of the O&G. Sediment B contained 430 mg/kg PCBs, 71,000 mg/kg PAHs, and 127,000 mg/kg O&G. The process removed more than 99 percent of the PCBs and PAHs, and more than 98 percent of the O&G.

Cost estimates for a large-scale treatment of Grand Calumet River sediment using a 184 cubic yards per day unit range from $361 to $139 per cubic yard for 5,000 cubic yards and 100,000 cubic yards of sediment treated, respectively.

The goals of the ARCS program for the pilot-scale demonstration and subsequent analyses were to evaluate the efficiency of the BEST technology at reducing organic contamination in GCR sediment with varying levels of contamination and to develop cost estimates for a full-scale application of the process. The following objectives for the pilot-scale demonstration were established by the SITE Program: assessing the quality of the treated solids, the residual product water, and the concentrated oil product, developing capital and operating costs for the technology, developing an overall mass balance for organic contaminants around the BEST pilot plant, evaluating the technology's effect on metals found in the sediment, and assessing the biodegradation of residual triethylamine in the product solids.

The International Joint Commission has identified the Indiana Harbor Canal, all of the Grand Calumet River of Indiana, and the nearshore of Lake Michigan as one of 43 areas of concern (AOC) around the Great Lakes which do not meet one or more of the objectives of the 1978 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement or other standards, criteria or guidelines. The 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA), Section 11 8(c)(3), authorized the U. S . Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) to conduct a 5-year study and demonstration project on the control and removal of toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes, with emphasis on the removal of toxic pollutants from bottom sediments. The Clean Water Act (CWA) specified five areas, including the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor and Canal (GCR/IHC) AOC, as requiring priority consideration in locating and conducting on-site demonstration projects.

In response, GLNPO initiated the Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments (ARCS) Program to assess the nature and extent of sediment contamination at the priority AOCs, to evaluate and demonstrate remedial options, and to provide guidance on the assessment of contaminated sediment and the selection and implementation of remedial actions in the AOCs and other locations in the Great Lakes. The ARCS Program created an Engineering and Technology Workgroup (ETWG) to select promising technologies and to carry out the on-site pilot-scale demonstration projects. Other agencies involved in the cooperative effort included USEPA's Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program, USEPA Region 5 and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Chicago District.

The SITE Program promotes the development and use of innovative technologies to implement federal and state cleanup standards at Superfund sites. SITE's Demonstration Program provides an assessment of an innovative technology's performance, reliability and cost. For this pilot-scale demonstration, SITE assisted in preparation of the demonstration site, collection and analysis of samples, and disposal of treatment residuals. SITE also evaluated the effectiveness of the Basic Extractive Solvent Technology (BEST) process and published two reports: the Technology Evaluation Report (TER, EPA/540/R-92/079a) and the Applications Analysis Report (AAR) (TER, EPA/540/AR-92/079).

The TER contains a comprehensive description of this demonstration project and its results. It provides detailed descriptions of the BEST process (a solvent extraction technology), the sediment used in the project, sampling and analyses, data generated, and the Quality Assurance Program. The AAR, more general than the TER, includes estimated costs for the technology and summarizes the results of the demonstration. The AAR discusses the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of the BEST process.

The sampling was conducted through EPA's SITE program via Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Analytical tests were conducted by SITE through Maxwell/S-cubed Division, SAIC, Triangle Laboratories, Commercial Testing and IT Air Quality Services. In addition, RCC independently collected and analyzed its own set of samples.

USEPA Region 5 helped procure a location for the demonstration project, acted as an interface between U.S. Steel Gary Works (who provided use of the demonstration site and access to utilities), and assisted in ensuring compliance with applicable Federal laws and regulations, particularly the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

The COE, Chicago District, served with the ETWG, awarded and managed a contract with the developer of the BEST process, Resources Conservation Company, Inc. (RCC) and prepared this report. This report describes the ARCS pilot-scale demonstration project conducted at the GCR/IHC AOC.